Shukhov Tower on the Oka River

The Shukhov Tower on the Oka River (also Dzerzhinsk High-Voltage Mast, Shukhov Oka Tower) is the world’s only diagrid hyperboloid transmission tower. It is located in Russia, in the western suburbs of Nizhny Novgorod, on the left bank of the Oka River near Dzerzhinsk (about 12 km away from the city center, near Dachny village). The tower is one of several structures designed by Russian engineer and scientist Vladimir Shukhov; its power lines, however, were decommissioned in 1989.

The only presently standing Shukhov Tower built for the power line crossing, after its twin was destroyed – 2006
The two 128-meter towers in 1988, shortly before the power line was decommissioned a year later.

History

The Shukhov Tower was a part of a 110kV three-phase AC transmission line crossing the Oka River commissioned between 1927 and 1929. For the Oka River crossing, six hyperboloid pylons (three for each power-line) were built: a 20-metre (66 ft) tall anchor pylon, a 68-metre (223 ft) tall crossing pylon on the hillier south shore, and a 128-metre (420 ft) tall crossing pylon on the lower terrain of the north shore.

In 1989, the power line was rerouted and the 20 and 68 metre pylons were dismantled. The 128 metre pylons were left intact as a monument. Today, only one of the 128-metre pylons stands as the other was illegally demolished[1] for steel scrap in May 2005.

Structure

The Shukhov Tower consists of five 25-metre (82 ft) steel lattice hyperboloid sections, stacked on top of each other. The sections are made of straight profiles, the ends of which rest against circular foundations. The tower's circular concrete foundation has a diameter of 30 metres (98 ft). The construction of the individual sections is an example of a doubly-ruled surface.

Present condition

RAO UES, Russia's electricity company, used Shukhov's unique constructions for 70 years. The existing pylon currently requires maintenance and FGC UES is scheduled to repair it.

Partially-hyperboloid pylons of similar design can be seen near Cádiz, Spain.

See also

References
  1. p.3, «Stählerne Grazie am Strand der Oka», Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 22.06.2005

General
  • Elizabeth C. English, “Arkhitektura i mnimosti”: The origins of Soviet avant-garde rationalist architecture in the Russian mystical-philosophical and mathematical intellectual tradition”, a dissertation in architecture, 264 p., University of Pennsylvania, 2000.
  • "Vladimir G. Suchov 1853-1939. Die Kunst der sparsamen Konstruktion.", Rainer Graefe und andere, 192 S., Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart, 1990, ISBN 3-421-02984-9.
  • Jesberg, Paulgerd Die Geschichte der Bauingenieurkunst, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart (Germany), ISBN 3-421-03078-2, 1996; pp. 198–9.
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